Background: | Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA is now in his second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. |
Location: | Southern Africa, Island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique |
Area: | Total: 587,040 sq km, land: 581,540 sq km, water: 5,500 sq km |
Coastline: | 4,828 km |
Climate: | Tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south |
Terrain: | Narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center |
Elevation extremes: | Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m Highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m |
Natural resources: | Graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower |
Land use: | Arable land: 5.03%, permanent crops: 1.02%, other: 93.95% (2005) |
Natural hazards: | Periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation |
Languages: | English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official) |
Ethnic groups: | Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran |
Religions: | Indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% |
Population: | 19,448,815 (July 2007 est.) |
Government type: | Republic |
Capital: | Name: Antananarivo Geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Legal system: | Based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle |
Driving | People drive on the Right-hand side of the road and give way to the left. |
Economy - overview: | Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the US. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years. |
GDP - composition by sector: | $19.95 billion (2007 est.), agriculture: 27.3%, industry: 15.8%, services: 56.8% (2007 est.) |
Industries: | Meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism |
Electricity | 220 volts |
Currency (code): | Madagascar ariary (MGA) |
Credit Cards | Few places accept credit cards |
VAT | VAT - 18% |
Telephone system | general assessment: system is above average for the region; Antananarivo's main telephone exchange modernized, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system is poorly developed; planning to add 50,000 new private-subscriber fixed lines beginning in 2005 domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density only about 7 per 100 persons international: country code - 261 |